Opening Game Victory Comes With a Price, Moody Lost for Season

Beaver Falls, PA - Geneva′s opening football weekend as a member of NCAA Division III and the Presidents′ Athletic Conference was nearly perfect. The Golden Tornadoes performed brilliantly in dispatching Thiel College 20-3 on a perfect afternoon in Greenville, PA. The smiles from an impressive Saturday victory quickly turned to frowns on Monday when it was learned that starting tailback Javon Moody will be lost for the remainder of the 2007 season.

Moody, who suffered an ACL injury early in his first collegiate training camp two years ago had come back stronger than ever this season and earned the starting nod for the upcoming campaign. Midway through the first quarter, Moody was hit and his body went one way, but his leg didn′t follow. As a result, he suffered yet another season ending ACL injury and will be forced to the sidelines once again. The short term replacement for Moody was freshman Gerard Muschette, who shined in his collegiate debut with a pair of sparkling touchdowns. However, the loss of Moody was a hard hit to an already young offensive unit. "You just feel bad for the kid," said head coach Geno DeMarco. "Here is a guy that has worked so hard to get back onto the field and was primed for a tremendous season. Injuries are a part of this game, but this in particular really is hard to swallow."

Moody served as a backup to Brandon Nathan in 2006 and rushed for 197 yards on 70 carries, including a team best four rushing touchdowns. "Javon is a tremendous talent and we are still confident that he will work his way back to the football field for this program," said DeMarco.

A lack of experience on offense seems to be the norm for DeMarco, but he remains confident about his personnel. "We will certainly learn a lot about our younger guys in the weeks to come. Successful football teams take pride in their depth and we will see how deep we are at the running back position. All we can do is keep working hard."

Geneva′s youthful offense will take to the field on Saturday night against pre-season PAC favorite Washington & Jefferson for a 7 pm kickoff in a rivalry that will be renewed after a 22 year break between the two schools.